Improvement in looms



N-PETERS. PHOTO-UTMOGHAPHER. WASHINGTON. n C.

DANiEL s. rnnrz, or cono, iowaV Letters Patent .Na 59,422, (Zaler October l, 186i'.

MPROVEMBNT IN LOOMS.

dtp Stljemle retrait tu in there tcttets @that mit mailing artt tf tht same.

TO ALL WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, DANIEL K. FnnTZ, 'of Cono, Iowacounty, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vcrticalvcross-seetion of a .loom made according to my invention, the section being taken in the plane of the line y: of i'g. 2. l

Figure 2 is a. front elctation, a portion oi' the lower rail of the frame being` broken away to show some of the attachments behind it.

Figure 3 is an under side sectional view of the lay on the line y of iig. 1.

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view of the ratchet in the cam-shaft F, and ofthe pawl that operates it, the line of section being seen at z z, iig. 2.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate like parts.

This invention has for its object. to simplify and'cheapen and otherwise improve the ordinary hand-power loom, wherein the various parts are put in motion by the vibration of the lay or hatten. Among other improvements which I have arrived at in constructing my loom is to form and arrange the various parts in such manner that all the metallic portions may be made of wrought iron, so that any common blacksmith, or any persen who has ordinary skill in working in wood and iron, can make the loom as well as repair it, no castings being required in its construction. This feature in the construction of the loom of great moment in those parts of the country where foundries and factories are at great distances apart.

v The lay or batteri has, on the under side of its lower rail, a flat spring, which operates to throw the pickers against the shuttle whenever said pickers are released from certain latches placed underneath the shuttle-race near the swords of the lay. These latches are drawn or pushed forward by springs, so as to engage the pickers at the proper time, and they are disengaged by mcansof straps that are carried from their inner ends towards the front of the loom, where they are passed over pulleys arranged on the inner side of the breast-beam, and thence towards the back part of the loom beyond the cam-roller, where they are severally fastened to the tops 0f levers, which are pivoted in vertical positions behind the cam-shaft, so that the cams thereof will throw the said levers backward when they ycome around against them, and cause thc said straps to nnlatch the pickers, when the latter are immediately thrown against thc shuttle in alternation by the springs on thf lower part of the lay above stated, This mode of throwing the shuttle will permit any number of leaves of harness to be put in and operated, enabling the weaver te produce'on the same loom common shirting or flannel', double coverlcts, fancy table-cloths, und other elaborate work. From the middle ot" the lay or hatten runs a lever, whose rear end is fastened to the radial arm of a collar that is placed loosely around the cam-shaft, enclosing a ratchet placed on the periphery of said shaft. The collar" made of two separate rings, which surround the eam-shaft on either side of the ratchet, said rings having each an arm which extends from its circumference, and which arms are united to each other by the saine pin that connects them with the lever from the lay or hatten. The pawl, which engages the ratchet, is pivotcd between the arms of the rings, so that when the level' is vibrated with the backward movement of the lay, the pawl engages the ratchet and turns the cam-shaft the distance of one tooth, and thereby operates the harness-trcadlcs, which treadles are arranged below either end of the camshaft in such a manner that odd numbers can be worked by* the loom. The cloth-beam is rotated to take up the cloth as it is woven by a pawl and ratchet movement, the pawl being hung on a lever whose free end rests upon n shoulder or receptacle cut in the side of one of the swords ofthe lay, so as to bc vibrated and elevated bythe 'forward movement of the lay. The thread or warp-beam is kept from being rotated too freely by means of cords that golover pulleys at the ends oi' the said beam, and are fastened to weighted levers.

The letter A designates the frame of the loom, and B its lay or batten, the latter having the usual shuttlerace and shuttle-boxes b b at the ends of the racc.. C is the frame that supports and sustains the leaves of harness, which latter are not here shown. F is the cam-shaft, which gives motion to the harness-treadles G. At about the middle of its length it has around it a ratchet-ring, on either side of which are rings H H. that'are placed loosely on said camshaft, having each an arm, H H', said arms being properly secured to each other, so that the two rings form, in effect, a divided collar. The ends of the said arms are connected by a pivot to a lever, J, that extends forward to the lay, and between said arms-is hung a pawl, I, which engages the rat/:het on the shaft. lhc lever J is an elbow shape, its rear part being horizontal, and reaching forward until it is in line with the sword of the lay, when it is turned upwards at a right angle, and is pivoted to lugs that extend downwards from the under side oi' the lay. From this construction it follows that when the lay or betten is moved backwards, the collar 'H and pawl I are turned, and by means of the engagement of the paw] with .the ratchet of the cam-shaft, said shaft is moved around the distance of one tooth, causing one of the cams or arms, g, to come in contact withthe forward edge of one of the upright levers, Q, to whose top the straps L, which operate the latches R R, hereinafter mentioned, are fastened. The levers Q Q are pivoted to the tops of standards Q Q', that are fastened to the same rail at the rear of the frame which supports the rearend ofthe harnesstreadles, their positions/being such as to come opposite the cams or arms g, which are arranged about the camshaft in two series on either s'ide ofthe collar H. The upper edge of' each lever Q is curved, so as to make it project in a forward direction towards the cam-shaft, such curved part terminating with asquare shoulder, over or past which the cams or arms escape from the levers, so as to allow the latter to be brought forward again towards the shaft to be ready for the action ofthe next cam (l. The straps L are taken forward from thevlevers Q to the breast-beam l), where they pass around pulleys M respectively, and thence are taken towards the lay, wliere they are fastened to the inner ends of the latch-levers or latches R R, which are pivoted to the under side of that rail ofthe lay which supports or forms the shuttle-racc. The outenends of the latches R R terminate near to the swords V V oi' the luy, their inner corners having notches or shoulders U U formed therein, which retain the picker-Steves 1T N in thc cuter end of the box, and in position to project tho shuttle through the shed 'when the arms R lt are withdrawn.. The outer corners of the latches near the swords V are connected by springs S S with the vertical ends of angle-platcs T T, that are fastened to the inner edge of the lay. The inner edges ofthe latches, from the places where they are pivotcd tol the shoulders U, are oblique, so thattthe latches increase in width towards tho shoulders, causing said edges partly to over-lie the slots in the race through which the picker-strives move. The pickerstaves have straps O O attached to them respectively, said straps being taken thence outwards in frontof and around the swords V, where they go over pulleys O O', and are carried backwards and fastened to the side posts of the harness-frame C on each. end of the loom. The picker.- staves N are made wider at bottom than at top, and are pivoted at their outer lower corners in slots made for them in the lower rail B ot' the lay, their inner corners being connected by straps, or by hinges Z, as in this example, tothe free ends of 'a flat spring, l), which is secured at the middle of its length to the under side of said rail. Separate springs may be used instead, if desired. The leaves of the hinges work in the same slot in the rail which the bottoms oi' the picker-stoves are pivoted in, such slots being partly cut down through the .rail for that purpose. lllhe tendenclnlthe springs P is always to bring the upper ends of the picker-staves .inwards so as to strike the shuttle. which they (the springs) are allowed to do so soon as the stayes are released from the latches R, such release being effected by operating the latches R through the straps L and vertical levers Q, as above explained. When the picker-stoves are drawn outward, which motion is accomplished in the forward movement oi' or beat of the lay, when its swords come against the straps O O, said staves push the latches to one sido until they reach the shoulders or notches U, when the springs S S immediately restore the latches to their normal position, and the stoves are consequently arrested by the said shouldersl or notches until the time arrives for releasing them in order to lct them act on the shuttle. The two series of cams or arms g on the cam-shaft are arranged in planes intermediate ot' each other, so that the levers Q shall be acted on in alternation, only one being moved at a time, and consequently the pickers will be released from the latches in like alternation.

I have not, in thisexample of my invention, shown the harness, but it is suspended from the frame C in the usual manner, the several leaves being attached to their appropriate treadles G, which are thereby, when the loom is ready'for operation, raised upwards, so that they come in the path of the depressing-pins f of the cam-shaft, which pins, by depressing them, operate the proper leaves of harness to produce the desired shed in` the warp. I have shown nine treadles on each side of the loom, each treadle having its appropriate pin,f, on the cam-shaft, which pins arc arranged in any order andf way desired for the purpose 0f operating the number of treadles or leaves of harness fixed upon by the maker or operator. By means of this construction and arrangement odd numbers oi treadles can be worked, each tren-die being independent of the others, and worked by its appropriate pin. 'lhe warp-beam E has, at each cnd, a grooved pulley, which receives cords that are carried around levers X pivoted to the rear standards ofthe frame. These lovers may be borne downwards by weights so as to make friction between the cords and the pulleys, and so retard the too free delivery of the warp-boum, causing'it to let oil' the yarn at a proper spoed. The cloth-beam K has a take-upl apparatus connected therewith, consisting of a ratchet on one end of the beam, which is restrained from running back by a detent, a, moved around by a pawl, C, on a horizontal lever, W, pivot-ed to one of the front posts of the frame, and extending backwards into a slot or recess cut in one of the swords V of the lay, the bottom of suchl recess or slot being an inclined pla-ne, and the under side ofthe lever at its rear end, which rests on the bottom of the slot or recess, being made oblique so as to ft theretg'. When the lay is making its forward movement the lever W is raised, and its p-awl c is consequently impelled against and made to drive the ratchetof the warp-beam around the distance of one tooth. When the lay is making its backward movement, the lever W falls to a lower position, owing to the inclination of the bottom of the slot or recess in the sword, which inclination is shown in dotted outline in g. l.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination and arrangement of the spring P and hinge Z with thc lay and picker-staff, substantially as described.A

DANIEL K. FRETZ.

Witnesses:

IsAIAH HrxsoN, HENRY S. Formas,- 

